“My soul? What do you know about it?” Lith was startled by her words. He had never been a spiritual person, but after reincarnating twice and his meeting with the Scorpicore, not having doubts about the existence of souls would be idiotic.
“Plants are different from monsters or magical beasts. We do not evolve for the sake of power, we also gain a greater affinity with the Great Mother.” The blonde dryad waved at her surroundings.
“We Dryads, in particular, are deeply linked to all forms of life on a spiritual level. I can tell at a glance that your soul is damaged. I have no way to know how it happened or how that changed your life…”
‘I think I have a clear idea about it.’ Lith thought.
“…but maybe, just maybe, I can offer you a solution, or at least point you in the right direction.”
“How exactly?”
“Have you ever had a déjà vu? Or the feeling to be in the right place at the right time? That happens when your soul manages to guide you to an important crossroad in your life.
“We can show you where and when a keystone event will take place, but the spell requires at least two Dryads.”
“At least? How many of your kin live in this forest?” Lith’s paranoia kicked in, so he started to search his surroundings for hidden enemies, finding none.
“Just the two of us.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t have left my territory if my sister hadn’t been in mortal peril. Nor would I have handed my heart to you if I had any other choice.”
Sister. That word lit a hint of compassion in Lith’s heart. She had taken an enormous risk to protect her family, something he deeply respected.
Despite the fact that she couldn’t even move without his permission, her eyes were filled with pride and defiance.
After pondering about his options, Lith dispersed all the dark energies. He already had another hostage, in case the red-head tried something funny. Also, he had no use for them from the beginning.
If smuggling a glowing flower was hard, then how was he supposed to explain two Dryads following him everywhere? The natural treasures were enough to compensate Lith for all his troubles.
Without the dark energy sapping her powers, the red Dryad managed to dress herself with a wave of her hand, conjuring a satin red and gold morning dress that complemented her eyes.
The longer she was in contact with the earth, the stronger she became.
Lith stored the natural treasures in his pocket dimension, without letting the dryads get out of his sight. Since the second Dryad had appeared, Lith felt a tingling annoying sensation inside his heart, something that resembled guilt.
He always acted unscrupulous, killing without distinction or remorse, but he was secretly proud of never having harmed someone without a reason. Lith knew that the moment he started killing simply because he could, he would have lost his last shred of humanity.
Following his “live expecting the worst” way of life, this time he had almost killed an innocent, forcing another into slavery. Even for him, that was a new low.
Feeling bewildered, he sought the advice of his moral compass.
‘Do you think I went overboard this time?’
‘Let me see.’ Solus pondered.
‘You got almost killed by a tentacle monster, and when another appeared you took precautions. That was the right thing to do. But when you determined it was not an Abomination, there was no reason to be so cruel.
‘Magical creatures are just like humans. Some are good, others are bad. Yet you groundlessly tagged her as a threat. We are lucky that you are masked, otherwise the next time we meet, I would expect her to attack us on sight.’
He silently agreed with her.
“Do what you have to.” Lith stepped back, allowing the Dryads to get close to each other.
The two dryads joined their hands and their eyes were instantly filled with white light, while a pool of water formed in the space encompassed by their arms, filling it to the brim.
The light descended in the water, forming a white sphere that spun on itself, turning the water in a whirlpool and making it resemble a 3D projection of a galaxy. A small, black wisp came out of Lith’s body, making him suddenly feel lighter as if part of his emotional burden had finally been relieved.
The wisp entered the vortex, turning it into a deep orange twilight color. At that point, the dryads released their hands, letting the dying galaxy go.
It kept spinning on itself for a while before moving towards Lith, merging with his body and forcing him to relive all of his three lives.
Pain invaded his body while his mind was set on fire. Old injuries and bruises appeared and disappeared in a split second, while the memories of his first life flooded his brain.
He fell on his knees, clawing the ground so hard to break his nails.
The pain, the anger, the grieving despair, the revenge, and finally the peace. Then it was his second life’s turn, with its madness, loneliness, and hunger.
At the memory of his second death a gaping wound opened on his chest. Lith tried to spit a mouthful of blood, but only saliva came out. The wound disappeared as fast as it had formed, leaving behind only the feeling of pain that preceded the relief of death.
Then it came to his third life, and it wasn’t at all like he remembered it. There was pain, hunger, but a lot of light and joy. He was forced to realize all the love and affection that the people had showered him with, even when he had still treated them like tools, manipulating their actions and feelings.
Starting with his father, then Selia, Nana, Lark and finally his friends at the academy.
When the images in his head caught up with the present, they kept moving forward, showing Lith a place that he had never seen before, where he was supposed to be at all costs.
